Signs to help control traffic around Christian Camp

LAKE JAMES — One traffic control sign is up and another is on its way near the Lake James Christian Camp and Retreat on C.R. 275N.

At the expense of the camp, at a cost of about $3,800 apiece, the Camp has purchased two speed monitoring signs for traffic in both directions at the facility that is filled with young people in the summer.

The camp sits at the peak of a hill on C.R. 275. There’s one drive and a county road that serve as entrances/exits to the facility.

Ever since C.R. 200N closed for construction on April 8, the traffic has been growing along C.R. 275N, which is technically not one of the official detour roads for the project.

Matt Love, director at Lake James Christian Camp and Retreat, has had to take measures to make sure the ingress and egress from the facility are safe for campers, their families and visitors.

On June 3, Love went before the Commissioners to seek relief from the situation. He has used his portable message board to try to alert drivers to slow down, especially now that camps are in session.

The increase in traffic typically coincides with the times that campers are coming and going from Lake James, Love said.

What it comes down to is people slowing down because the increase in traffic isn’t going to decline until the C.R. 200N improvement project is completed in November. That project involves pavement improvement, adding a turn lane and drainage upgrades.

The official detour is C.R. 200W, C.R. 100N (Harcourt Road in Angola) and S.R. 127 (North Wayne in Angola).

Man shot in Pokagon State Park after fireworks displayANGOLA — Pokagon State Park was back to normal Monday afternoon with horses lined up outside the stable, kids taking nature hikes and families cycling in all directions but a seeming petty argument between strangers near the rental cabins at the end of the toboggan run came close to being fatal July 6 after the fireworks show.

Maung O. Aung, 25, of the 600 block of Wallen Hills Drive, Fort Wayne, was arrested and charged with battery with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony; and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a Level 6 felony, after an incident that left three people injured.

The probable cause affidavit filed in Steuben County courts states that the altercation started at 10:50 p.m. July 6, along a “narrow trail” near the toboggan run.

Aung and his girlfriend were walking back to their car after the park’s fireworks display ended. A couple in front of them were vaping. Aung complained about the smell and asked to pass, but while passing, he either accidentally bumped or intentionally shouldered the vaping male.

All four stated the vaping male made contact with two punches but failed to connect a third. Aung said he was stunned and surprised by the first punch and felt no pain but he dropped his items and displayed his pistol after the second punch and started firing after a third.

One bullet fragment struck a 9-year-old girl in her calf and a second struck her in the head, becoming tangled in her hair. The third shot hit the vaping man in his upper left thigh from two feet away.